All the various sounds of the human voice may be comprehended under the
general appellation of _tones_. The principal modifications of these
tones are the MONOTONE, the RISING INFLECTION, the FALLING INFLECTION,
and the CIRCUMFLEX.

The Horizontal Line (--) denotes the Monotone.
The Rising Slide (/) denotes the Rising Inflection.
The Falling Slide (\) denotes the Falling Inflection.
The Curve (\_/) denotes the Circumflex.

The MONOTONE is that sameness of sound, which arises from repeating the
several words or syllables of a passage in one and the same general
tone.

REMARK.--The Monotone is employed with admirable effect in the delivery
of a passage that is solemn or sublime.

EXAMPLES.

1. O thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my fathers: whence
are thy beams, O sun, thy everlasting light? OSSIAN.

2.
'Tis midnight's holy hour, and silence now
Is brooding, like a gentle spirit, o'er
The still and pulseless world. Hark! on the winds
The bells' deep tones are swelling; 'tis the knell
Of the departed year.
PRENTICE.